Pre-Workout Supplements

For many gym goers, motivation can sometimes be hard to come by after a hard day at work. Pre-workout supplements give you a boost of motivation and focus and allow you to train with a level of intensity in the gym that will get you results. Pre-workouts can be a good tool in your fitness supplement arsenal to help you stay consistent with the gym.

What makes a workout effective is the intensity of the training, quality of the training and the volume of the training. To achieve all three of these aspects of effective training you need a high level of motivation; that’s what pre-workout supplements (as well as intense workout music) provide you.

A pre-workout supplement doesn’t even need to be a pre-formulated supplement that you purchase at GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe. A caffeine loaded cup of coffee and some B-vitamin pills can act as pre-workouts as well as other safe stimulants – anything that gets you fired up to train hard and maintain a high level of intensity at the gym works.

Quality pre-formulated pre-workout supplements have a balanced mixture of caffeine, B vitamins, BCAAs, nitric oxide, creatine and other ingredients meant to increase your level of energy, mental focus and blood flow to the muscles while reducing tiredness and fatigue.

Pre-workouts don’t increase muscle strength or power per se. But the increased motivation and mental boost that you get usually enables you to squeeze out another rep or two or go for higher weight.

The intensity and focus effect that pre-workouts have on your level of training usually yields a real increase in muscle mass and fat loss.

While pre-workouts contain stimulants, they are not meant to fuel your workout. This means that pre-workouts don’t provide the calories to be utilized for an intense training session.

That’s why it’s important to get a good pre-workout meal in before your training session and not just rely on your pre-workout to get you through your training.

Eat a pre-workout meal with moderate amounts of protein and carbs 1 – 2 hours before your workout and take a pre-workout supplement 30 minutes before your workout as an ideal setup for an intense training session.

Pre-workout supplements are generally safe in healthy individuals with no underlying health issues as long as they are taken in accordance with the directions on the label.

Do not exceed the amount to be taken listed on the label. It’s good to consult your doctor if you have any concerns of about the ingredients.

Most pre-workout supplements contain a minimum of 200 mg of caffeine per scoop. That’s about two cups of coffee – so if you have health sensitivity to caffeine, be careful with pre-workout supplements. Drink sufficient amounts of water throughout the day and especially when taking pre-workouts.